Display walls and graphics are generally known in the art of merchandise display and the graphics used with display walls may comprise a combination of photographic, line image, and written word media for describing and displaying available merchandise. One common method of packaging merchandise for display on a wall is to contain the merchandise in a bubble of plastic laminated to a cardboard backing. Another method is to insert the merchandise in a plastic bag with a paper or cardboard portion either inserted in the bag or folded over and attached to the top of the bag. In either case, the cardboard portion has printed matter descriptive of the contained merchandise and a hole punched in it so that the merchandise may be hung from display posts protruding from a display wall or surface. One such display post arrangement that is known in the art is the pegboard and post construction in which the display wall comprises a board of rigid material having multiple, evenly spaced holes extending through it. Display hangers used with such a pegboard have predetermined shapes with portions that extend through said holes and attach the hanger to the display wall. These hangers provide a protruding post on which merchandise may be hung in an orderly manner, suspended from the display surface.
It is also known in the art to provide paper or placard style covering materials which decoratively cover the pegboard surface. Covering materials may display additional graphics or printed matter relating to the displayed merchandise or its manufacturer.
In the field of plumbing fittings for connection with pipe or tubing, it has been difficult, utilizing the existing art, to organize and display fittings having a multitude of identifying characteristics in a manner which allows a customer to easily select the desired fitting while using a minimum of display space. Typically, plumbing fittings are available in a permutation of fitting types and sizes for each of their multiple ends. The more common fittings have one, two or three ends for connection with pipe or tubing, each of said ends may have one of three types of fitting configurations (tubing, male pipe, and female pipe), for each of said configurations there may be four or more common tubing or pipe diameters, and the fitting having two ends may provide either a straight connection or an elbow. Assuming four common tubing or pipe diameters, the possible permutations of the foregoing factors alone are in excess of one thousand. Less than one hundred of these permutations are commonly available but these still present a difficult problem for either the experienced or the inexperienced customer in selecting the desired fitting.
Further, the needs of customers vary. One customer may come in to a retail store with a particular fitting in hand which he desires to replace, a second customer may know the numeric size of the tubing or pipe which he desires to connect, and a third customer may only have a sample of the tubing or pipe that he desires to attach onto.
Prior to the present invention, no selection system or apparatus was known which efficiently facilitated the selection of merchandise from a display of merchandise having multiple characteristics. Further, no apparatus or system was known which could accommodate the various needs of customers which differ with the customer's knowledge of characteristics of the desired merchandise.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to disclose and provide a method for selecting a piece of merchandise having specific characteristics from a display of merchandise of multiple combined characteristics where the selection system and apparatus is efficient, easy to use, and requires a minimum of display space.
It is a further object of the invention to disclose and provide a display selection apparatus and system that can accommodate multiple types of customer needs in the selection of their merchandise.
It is also an object of the present invention to disclose and provide a selection means and system for use with merchandise having two or more independent characteristics and which is easily adapted to and displayable on pegboard display surfaces which are commonly existing in retail stores.